When fans and pundits alike discuss the greatest football clubs in history, some names almost always come up.
Even football novices today have probably heard of Inter Milan and how it dominated Italy and Europe back in the 60s, 90s, and late 2000’s.
But how did the club reach such legendary status, and which individuals fueled its dominance?
Football Club Internazionale Milano (Inter Milan) is an Italian team with an impressive trophy cabinet.
Since the club’s inception in 1908, the Nerazzurri have enjoyed domestic and international success, winning several European Cup/Champions League titles, UEFA Cups/Europa League’s, Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup.
And for all its success, Inter has had some exceptional coaches to thank. While many have tried to analyze Inter’s best tacticians, only a sport-savvy DoMyEssay, a professional research and essay writing service, can bring these legends’ contributions to light.
So, here are some of the best coaches that ever graced this club and their success stories.
Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera was an Argentine manager who transformed the club into one of the best teams in Europe.
He joined Inter from Barcelona in 1960 and improved the 5–3–2 formation. Herrera modified the ‘Verrou’ tactic that birthed one of the best counterattacking teams in history ㅡ the ‘Grande Inter.’
He used the ‘sweeper’ and attackers as the first line of defense.
Many pundits criticized Inter’s approach to success under Herrera, claiming that it favored efficiency over entertaining football. But none of that fazed the Argentinian as he only focused on winning, and he did just that.
Heleno is best known for his victories between 1960 and 1968. He led a formidable Inter team to three Serie A titles, consecutive European Cups, and two Intercontinental Cup titles.
In that same period, he also coached the Spanish and Italian national teams.
Helenio Herrera had a keen eye for talent and knew how to manage them. He brought in one of the club’s greatest captains, Giacinto Facchetti, and transformed him into one of the most feared fullbacks at the time.
Today, many regard this masterful tactician as one of the most exceptional managers in footballing history. Helenio Herrera was posthumously inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni is an Italian football coach and one of the most celebrated managers in football history.
Trapattoni played for the Italian national team between 1960 and 1964, shortly before Herrera became its coach. We can only imagine what would have been if both legends worked together in the national team.
The fact that they never worked together could be why Trapattoni’s break came as a manager, not a player.
Whatever luster Trapattoni lacked on the field, he made up for with charisma on the touchline. The man won ten league titles in Italy, Germany, Portugal, and Austria.
For context, he is one of only five coaches, alongside Ernst Happel, José Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Tomislav Ivić, to win league titles in four different European countries.
Trapattoni is also one of two coaches to win all three major European club competitions (European Cup, UEFA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup).
Trapattoni joined Inter in 1986 and coached the club for six years. During his stint, he won the Serie A in 1988/89, the Supercoppa Italiana in 1989, and the UEFA Cup in 1990/91.
Apart from adopting a similar winning mentality, Trapattoni’s style of football was also not too different from Herrera’s.
His teams found fame for their ability to score from counterattacks. He often defended with a ‘libero’ and needed an intelligent playmaker to keep the attack swift and deadly.
To finally cement his legacy as one of football’s greatest coaches, Trapattoni led the Italian team to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He took his place amongst Italian Football’s Hall of Famers in 2012.
José Mourinho
José Mourinho, a.k.a ‘The Special One,’ is one of the most famous and charismatic coaches in world football, thanks to his spats with the media, touchline stunts, and unforgettable quotes.
Apart from his antics, this Portuguese manager is a serial winner and one of the greatest coaches ever. His mind games are second to none, and his resolve to winning those three points every week draws praise from some of football’s top talents.
Mourinho is often the target of the media’s fury, with many journalists branding his playing style as “defensive, outdated, and boring.” Yet, the results speak for themselves ㅡ that is when he isn’t reminding us of them.
He won six titles with Porto FC between 2002 and 2004 before making Chelsea a European powerhouse almost overnight.
José joined Inter Milan in 2008 and created an iconic team that is part of football folklore today. When he came to the club, Inter was far from the feared giants they used to be decades prior. But The Special One found a way to turn a team on a downward spiral into continental champions.
His first season wasn’t trophy-laden, and journalists geared to tear him a new one. But tactical improvements and the signing of Samuel Eto’o and Wesley Sneijder surged the club back into winning ways.
Pundits still analyze his two Serie A titles, the European treble of Serie A, the Coppa Italia, and that iconic UEFA Champions League triumph in 2010.
Mou (as he is fondly called in his previous clubs) bagged his first FIFA World Coach of the Year after joining Trapattoni on the list of five coaches to win the European Cup with two clubs. He became the Portuguese Coach of the Century in 2015.
Conclusion
In a world where the latest footballing talents grace the tabloids, finding coaches that stand out is challenging. Yet, Inter Milan has managed to pull some of the most successful tacticians the game has ever seen.
These three managers head a list of many gifted individuals to lead the Nerazzurri to victory, and their many footballing triumphs will spark discussions for generations to come.
